Vintage Eats Recipe: 1993 Cranberry-Brie in Pastry

Deciding what to take to a Christmas party can be a challenge. Most people seem to want to create a wow factor and take a dessert. I admit, I usually save room for dessert(s).

But in realizing my family has veered away from decadent desserts (although we still like some), I thought of creating a savory appetizer that would deserve a sensation.

Having spied a photo of ‘Cranberry-Brie in Pastry’ in Christmas Cheer cookbook, I read through the ingredients – and felt my heart sink.

I had never worked with phyllo pastry.

I had never purchased Brie cheese, balsamic vinegar, or even whole berry cranberry sauce. Yes, I’ve been in a rut with my pantry staples.

It was time to venture outside of my comfort box.

I picked up all of the items with just a mild sensation of trepidation. What if the phyllo doesn’t handle easily? (I don’t even know how to pronounce it – FILO (long I sound) or FELO (long E sound)

I could see my kitchen counter covered with pieces of the stuff, all unusable because I’ve handled it too much (I hear that often on ‘The Great British Baking Show’)!

What if I bake the dough too long and it burns?

I would hate to waste time or money on these items. None were not terribly expensive, but they are all purchased exclusively for this recipe with no other recipe in mind. It had better work.

Believing Christmas is a time for enjoying one’s self so I resolved to handle it all carefully and not get frustrated.

The result?

A mini tart-sweet fruity topping which happens to be my favorite color that lent color to our party table (perhaps the color could be why I zoned in on the photo in the cookbook).

I recommend on giving it a try, even if you’ve never worked with this pastry dough. It didn’t take much effort or room to put together.

It could be a great appetizer for New Year’s parties as well.

And did I mention that it tasted yummy?  

Let me know if you make this recipe or any of ones provided at Vintage Eats. I’d love to see photos as well!

Take care and Merry Christmas!

**

Cranberry-Brie in Pastry

from ‘Christmas Cheer: Recipes and Party Ideas

Memories in the Making series 1993’

2 t. vegetable oil

¼ c. finely chopped onion

¼ c. finely chopped celery

1 can (16 oz.) whole berry cranberry sauce

2 T. sour cream

1 t. balsamic vinegar

4 sheets frozen phyllo pastry, thawed according to package directions  

Vegetable cooking spray

1 package (4 ½ oz) Brie cheese, cut into 18 small pieces  

In a small saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and celery; cook until tender. Stir in cranberry sauce, sour cream, and vinegar.

Stirring occasionally, bring to a boil over medium heat and cook 15 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat; set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray each sheet of phyllo pastry with cooking spray.

Stack pastry sheets on top of each other; cut into 18 3-inch squares.

Press 1 pastry square into each tin of a greased miniature muffin pan.

Place 1 piece cheese in center of each pastry square.

Spoon a heaping teaspoonful cranberry mixture over top of each piece of cheese.

Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm

Yield: 18 appetizers.

My notes: My can of whole cranberry sauce was only 14 oz. so I added ¼ c. of jellied cranberry sauce.

I didn’t find the pastry that difficult to work with. I sprayed the front and back of each sheet, but in future I’ll only spray one side since they are on top of each other.

They were not hard to remove from the muffin pan. The recipe recommends serving them warm, but I think they would be good chilled as well.

With leftover cranberry mix we’ll dip it in crackers for a savory topping.

**

Vintage Find of the Week: Box grater

Graters may have been invented by Francois Boullier in 1540s so hard cheeses could still be used.

This design gives as many as four graters in one- each side is devoted to slicing vegetables

The disadvantage of the design is cleaning the inside of it where shredding can involve fingertips.

I saw one of these last week in a big box store. Obviously, the design still works after decades of usage.  

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